How long do dogs remember faces? Here’s What to Expect

I rehomed my dog. Should I go visit?

Adopting or buying a dog is a huge commitment that we shouldn’t take lightly, but sometimes it’s best to put them in a home that’s better equipped for their needs. If you feel like you need to visit your old pup, give them at least a month to adjust to their new home first.

Is a Dog’s Memory Like a Human’s?

Put simply, a dog’s memory is not quite the same as a human’s. Their long-term memories are extensive, but their short-term memory is quite different. However, to learn about one, you’ll need to understand both.

How long do dogs remember faces?

The main difference between a human’s short-term memory and a dog’s is that humans have a very episodic memory of past events. In contrast, dogs tend to forget things pretty much immediately.

So, for example, a human’s short-term memory only lasts about 30 seconds. In that time frame, we might quickly forget the name, phone number, or birthday of a person we just met. Still, we won’t forget our interaction with them, where they sat in relation to us, or what they looked like.

A dog’s short-term memory works a bit differently. Your pet will likely forget an entire event within a minute or two of it happening. This is why your dog will want a treat ten minutes after you fed them or won’t remember the command for sit until you’ve run over it with them multiple times.

A dog’s long-term memory is much different than a human’s. As humans, we apply all of our senses to memory–the way a person looks, how their voice sounds, what color their eyes are, key personality features, their laugh, and so forth.

On the other hand, dogs don’t remember events but rather the sounds, smells, and sights associated with those events. Those associations can stick in your dog’s mind permanently, cementing a memory in their brain.

This sense association is why your dog comes running when he hears you open a package of cheese. They may not remember the first time you fed them cheese or the look of love you gave as you shared a slice of mozzarella. Instead, they’ll associate the sound of the package with a pleasurable experience–in this case, a yummy snack.

How long do dogs remember faces?

A dog’s associative memory is critical to remembering people, places, and events. Specifically, smell, sound, and sight are the key things that can help lock a memory in a dog’s mind indefinitely.

We all know a dog’s strongest sense is smell. It’s why dogs have been bred for centuries to do work based on sniffing out animals, people, illnesses, and illegal substances.

It’s no surprise that smell is one of the key triggers for a dog’s memory. It’s why dogs give each other (and us) a good sniff on a first meeting. A dog could remember your scent forever. That means if you go away for a long time, they’ll likely recognize you by smell before registering your face or voice.

If you’re not quite sure what I mean, take another look at some of those viral videos where dogs are reunited with their owners. In most cases, you’ll see the dog’s excitement really kick in when they catch a whiff of their loved one.

Dogs rely heavily on their sense of sight to remember things, too. Their brains aren’t wired for facial recognition in the same way a human’s might be. However, they’re still able to store away information about your appearance in their long-term memory.

What’s most interesting is that a human smile, something considered a positive form of communication in humans, is actually a sign of aggression in many other animals. However, a dog can differentiate between the positivity of a human smile and the aggression of another dog’s “smile.”

How does this affect their memory of people? It’s simple. If a dog associates a human’s smile with positivity, the dog will associate positive emotions with the interaction with that person.

How long do dogs remember faces?

Does a dog recognize a person’s voice?

Dogs are actually pretty similar to humans when it comes to sound interpretation. Not only do they recognize voices, but they also differentiate between tones of voice. It’s why a dog reacts happily when you smile and call their name and warily if you sound angry.

Again, it goes back to a dog’s associative memory. Not only will a dog associate tone with actions, but they can also recall a person’s voice and the pleasurable or negative feelings that are attached to that voice.

Still curious about a dog’s memory? Here are some commonly asked questions that will give you a bit more information.

How Long Do Dogs Take To Get Used To Their New Owners?

This entirely depends on the age of the dog and the history. If the age is just 2 to 4 months, then the transition can be quite quick. Puppies who are aged 12 weeks older or younger than that can bond very easily and instantly. As they grow older, the dogs come from a healthy and stable home with lots of memories about their previous owners. Thus, it takes time to bond or to build trust.

According to an expert, if the dog is happy and adjusting well with the new home, then a visit from the previous owner is not a bad idea. but if your dog is not struggling to adjust with the new home and often gets anxious, then it is better to keep a distance from the previous owner. This can make them even more devastated which will make it difficult for them to adjust to the new home.

How long do dogs remember faces?

Do Dogs Have a GOOD MEMORY? How Much do Dogs Remember?

A long time ago, my family adopted a dog that a family friend couldn’t keep anymore. Her family was heartbroken, but they were moving and couldn’t take her with them. They had her for years, and they naturally made a lot of memories together.

Years later, that same family was visiting town and wanted to see their old furry family member. Naturally, we said yes, but we were worried she wouldn’t recognize them. It had been maybe three or four years since we took her in and she was already integrated into our pack of six dogs.

Our concerns were proven pointless pretty quickly. She recognized her old family immediately and rushed to them with kisses and tail wags. She was always a happy girl, but this was the happiest we’d seen her in a while. Not only did she recognize her old family, she even remembered the silly games they used to play together.

There are plenty of stories all over the internet similar to this. An owner and dog will be separated for various reasons for a long time, but when they reunite their companion is still happy to see them, even if years go by. So you might be wondering just how long a dog can remember people.

To fully answer this, it’s best for you to know how a dog’s memory actually works. Their memory doesn’t work the same way human memory does, but their memory works well enough to recognize people even after a long separation. A dog can potentially remember a person their entire life, provided they have a strong enough association with them. On the other hand, they can forget someone they just met or don’t know well fairly quickly.